


Out in the Cold

by This_is_not_my_Penname



Series: Advent Ficlets 2018 [10]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Advent Ficlet Challenge 2018, F/M, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 01:56:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16944783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/This_is_not_my_Penname/pseuds/This_is_not_my_Penname
Summary: For the Advent Ficlet Challenge Day 10: Do you see what I see?Riza's mother takes her stargazing in the backyard; Riza shares her tradition with Roy.





	Out in the Cold

Riza smiled as her mother wrapped her in a sweater, a jacket, and a blanket, before handing her her newly knitted mittens and hat. Riza pulled them on quickly, and followed her outside.

It was cold, even for winter in the South, but the sky was clearer than ever. Above them were hundreds of stars, twinkling against the dark sky. Riza clapped her hands, the fabric muffling the sound.

“Do you see all the stars, Riza? Up there?”

“Yeah!”

“Aren’t they amazing?” her mother asked, and Riza nodded eagerly. The stars were beautiful, hypnotizing the young girl. She laid down on the ground, staring up at the beautiful lights. Her mother came and laid next to her, pointing out the various constellations and telling Riza their stories. It was magical.

***

Riza couldn’t hear any sound from her father’s room down the hall. She pulled on her warmest sweater and pushed open her window. In years past, she had gone out to the backyard proper, but her father had put an end to that. Still, every year near the holidays, she would climb out on the roof and look up at the stars.

She found the familiar constellations her mother had shown her, repeating the stories to herself quietly. She could see her breath in little puffs above her head. Perhaps some year it would snow here. It wasn’t unheard of, though it was rare.

A loud thud from inside the house made Riza jump. She quickly slipped back into her room, shedding her sweater. If her father came and found her out of bed this late at night, she wouldn’t be allowed out again until next year.

She curled up in her bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin just as her door opened. She kept her face to the wall, closing her eyes against the yellow light from the hallway. She heard her father grunt, and her door fall shut again. She debated briefly going back out, but if he was wandering around, she didn’t want to risk it. She rolled over and stared out the window. She couldn’t see nearly as many stars as she could outside, but it was better than nothing.

***

Riza was just pulling on her jacket when Roy walked in. “A little late to be going out, isn’t it?”

Riza froze. “I just… It’s… I like to go look at the stars. It’s one of my favorite holiday traditions. I used to go out with my mom and she told me the stories and…”

“And you weren’t going to invite me?”

“I didn’t think you were going to want to come. I know it’s… silly.”

“I think that sounds wonderful. I’ll come with you, if you want?”

Riza blushed slightly. “I just… I don’t know where to go here. When I lived in Tobha, I could see the stars in my backyard. We lived out of the city proper, and it was a big yard. I… It’s not quite the same here.”

Roy smiled. “Then let’s go get in the car. We’ll go drive out of the city, and find somewhere to stargaze.”

“That sounds… wonderful.”

“Let me just grab a jacket and we can go.”

Riza nodded. Roy dashed off to grab something, and when he returned, he took her hand and guided her out to the car. As they drove, Riza grinned. She could show Roy exactly what she had missed from her childhood. She reached across the seat and took Roy’s hand. This would be fantastic.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me me know what you think in the comments below!


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